Tire.



T. MIDGLEY.

TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED 111:0, 16,1906.

q ihwmca 4 Smolder T. MIDGLBY.

TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED n20. 1,6.1905.

'J'wigm do:

T. MIDGLBY.

TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.16,1906.

91 3,220. Patented Feb. 23, 1909.

5 BBBETSSHEET 3.

T. MIDGLBY. TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.16.1905.

91 3,220. Patented Feb. 23, 1909 5 MEETS-SHEET 4.

T. MIDGLEY.

TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 16,1905.

91 3,220. Patented Feb. 23, 15am.

5 SHEETS SHEET 5 Witncoob V m M avwc what 351 Zivflflot QM UNITED STATES THOMAS MIDGLEY, O F

PATENT OFFICE.

WORKS I'OMPANY, CORPORATION 01- tONNEUlHU'l.

TIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 23, 1909.

Application flied December 16, 1905. Serial No. 292,024.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that 1, Tnonss hlL'qGLEY, a citizen of the United States, resulln in Hart ford, in the county of Hartford an State of l constructing a tire body Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tires, of which the followingris a specification.

his invention relates to pneumatic tires and particularly to the construction of the body or skeleton to which rubber is a iplied to form the outer sheath or casing o the socalled double tube tires, or the entire tire of the single tube type.

The invention has for its object the pro duction of a tire body characterized by great durability which can be produced at comarativel low cost, and which may readily embe ded in rubber to form a complete tire or tire sheath.

The present invention is analogous in some respects to that disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent X0. 762,740 granted to me June 14, 1904, and is an improvement upon the tire disclosed in that patent.

In the following specification I have disclosed several embodiments of my invention, reference bein had to the accompanying drawings whic 1 form a part of the specification, and the novel features of the invention are clearly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that modifications and changes in the structures described and shown ma be made within the scope of the claims wit iout departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the outer sheath of a Dunlap tire" constructed according to the resent invention, the rubber being removed rom a ortion of the tire body or skeleton to show the arrangement of the elements thereof. Fi 2 is a fragmentary sectional view on an e arged scale t to h a portion of a tire body of the character lustrated in Fig. 1, the section being taken in a plane parallel to the strands in one pl of the tire body. Fig. 3 is a detail view in lan showing the arrangement of the stran s of cable and the helices of wire in a tire body of the character illustrated in Fig. 1, the tire body being shown as flattened out and with the outer ply above the inner ply. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary rspectivc view of a section of Dunlop tire similar to Fig. 1, but having a.

tire body of slightly different construction. Fig. 5 is a data view showing the mode of constructing the tire body shown in F' 4. Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the mo 8 of like t 1st illustrated in Fig. 4, except that wire helices extend transversely of the tire body instead of longitudinally thereof. Fig. 7 1s a view showing the mode of construction of a. tire body similar to that shown in Figs. 4 and 5, in some respects, but with the strands of cable diiierently arranged. F' 8 is a diagram showing the mode of laying t e strands of cable in the tire body illustrated in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view in perspective showing a tire body of the construction illustrated in Fig. 1 in connection with a single side wire at each margin of the tire body, and a connecting device between each side wire and the tire body proper. Fig. 10 is a detail view of the device forconnecting the tire body with the side wires, as shown in Fig. 9.

Described in general terms, a tire body constructed in accord with the present inven tion, consists of two or more series of strands of wire cable or other flexible wire, preferablzyl arranged in separate lies in each of whi the strands lie paralle to each other but extend obliquely across the tire from side to side, and a. plurality of helices of wire, which are interlaced with the strands of cable or other flexible wire, and serve to hold these strands of cable or other flexible wire in proper relative position. The requisite tensile stren th is imparted to the tire body by the stran of cable, which must contain only very fine wire in order to ossess the requisite flexibility, and the wire slices which are interlaced or intertwined with the strands of cable not only serve to hold the strands of cable in pro er position, but afford a very open when ar structure upon which the rubber of the tire will take an exceedingly firm hold.

l'teferring1 to the drawin by means of the reference c aracters, whic i designate corresponding arts in the several views,and more particular y to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 1-1 are two side wires of the type ordinarily used inthe construction of the tire sheaths or casings of Dunlop tires, each of these said casings being com ipesed of a plurality of strands as shown, and big man star. The characters 2-2 designate another e endless and of fixed diamair of side wires arranged parallel to the wires l-l, but between them, as shown. The. side wires l---l atl'ord an anchorage for :1 ply or layer of cable strands 3, which are carried to and fro between the. side wires l1, as best seen in Fig. 2;, each strand being carried obliquely across the space between the side wires, around the side wires at one side, and then back along a line parallel to itself. The side wires 1-1 are held somewhat farther apart than the side wires 2-2 durin" the process of arranging the cable strands t nereon, and, consequently, the ply formed of the side wires 1 and the cable strands 3 is wider than that formed on the side wires 2, upon which cable strands 4 are arranged in a m anner similar to the arrangement of the strands 3 on the wires 1-1, but at right angles thereto. When the two plies of cable strands are overlaid, as shown in Fig. 3, the strands in the plies cross at ri ht angles asin ordinary square mesh fabric, ut without any other interlacin of the strands in the two plies. To hold the cable strands in proper relation without interfering too much with the flexibility of the structure and at the same time to afi'ord an anchorage for the rubber which must be a plied to the tire body to complete the tire eath, two series of wire helices, 5 and 6, are threaded upon the cable strands of the two plies of the tire body. The helices 5, which are applied to the cable strands 3, have their axes parallel to the strands 3,upon which they are threaded, while the axes of the helices 6 are parallel to the strands 4, upon which they are threaded. The helices 5 are not interlaced one with another, but are interlaced with the helices 6, thus forming therewith a unitar but highly flexible structure which is l' lily reticular in character and holds the es lo strands 3 and 4, both plies, so that they cannot be shifted out of their relative positions. As the ply formed of the cable strands 3 on the side Wires 1 is wider than that form on the side wires 2, the side wires 1 will lie in substantially the same horizontal plane with the side wires 2 when the tire body is formed over a core to take the she o of the tire sheath, as shown in Fig. 1. i the strands in each 1y are sim ly carried to and fro on arallel ines, a sin e cable of sufiicient lengt may be used to orm an entire pl and on Y one s lice will be necessa to ma e the cab e end ess, thus obviating t e necessity of a joint extending entirely across the p As the splice of a single cable in afpl will not materially affect the flexibility 0 t 1e ly at the point of the lice the entire tire ody will be of uniform exibility throughout, and the fact that the helices of wire associated with each lply of cable strands are not interlaced witi each other, makes the entire structure as flexible as is necessary in a tire body for heavy 65 vehicles.

The flexibility l'tA uircd in the. the bodv must not be obtained at the ex )Ullh'l: ol' dumb bility, and l have found that the best results are obtained by using cables of large diameter in comparison to the dhnneter of the wires used in forming them, the best cullstruction of cable [or the purpose being shown in Fig. 2, in which 7 designates a core of hemp, jute, cotton, or similar libcr, about which a plurality of small cables are twincd, each of these small cables being louned of a number ol" very fine wires laid around a small core of fiber, such as hemp, or the like. The soft cores provided in the cable serve to protect the fine wires other, and lend to the entire cable a degree of durability not found in other cables of similar flexibility. The relatively large diameter of the cables 3 and 4 serves a further useful pur use in reducing the tendency of the cab as to cut thro 1 the rubber R, which is apphed to the tire ody to complete the tire s ieath.

Referring now to F 4 and 5, l0-l0 are a pair of side wires of t e usual 1. pe for Dunlop tire casings, and 11 and t2 esignate the cables arranged on the side wires to form an outer and inner ply respectively of the tire body. The cables 11 and 12 are carried by the same side wires, but are arranged at right angles each other, the strands in each ly bemg entirely separate from the strands m the other pig, and lying parallel to each other but at r t angles to the strands in the other (ply. T e arrangement of the cables 11 an 12 upon the same side wires makes the strands of one pl serve in a measure to anchor the strands o the other ply in proper relative osition, but the helices 13 of wire aro e mp oyed to insure the proper relative position of the cable strands at all times. lhese hehces are dis osed circumferentially of the tire body, as s own in 4 and .5, and are so interlaced with the ca le strands that a single series of helices, which are not interlaced with one another, binds together the cable strands of both plies.

6 the cable strands 11 and 12 are arrange as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, but the longitudinally disposed helices 13 are replaced by transversely disposed helices 14, which serve the same pu ose, but diminish to some extent the flexibility of the tire body in a transverse direction, thus tendiig to decrease the sharpness of the fiexure of the sides of the tire where it is in contact with the road-bed.

In Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, a tire body has been shown as havi two plies of cable strands which were entirely separate and disaround the carried back a ong lines partinct, the cables after passin side wires beiu allel to theme ves.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I have illustrated the construction of a tire body in which stran from wear against eat-h y scribed may 51 bot-h plies of cable are formed of the some I cable or cables, each cable after passing around one side wire being carried back to the other side wire along a line not parallel to itself, but at right angles thereto, thus passing entirely around the circumference of the tire body along a. zigzag line, as best shown in Fig. 8. When a tire body is construoted in this way, the same cable serves throughout half its length to form strands of one ply, and during the other hall to form strands of the other ply, the strands in each pl r being dis )oscd at ri ht angles to each ot nor, as in t- 1e forms 0? tire body already described. ln the construction of a tire body of the kind shown in Fig. 7, side wires 15 of the ordinary construction are used, and one or more cables 16 may be wound around the side wires in on z' zag direction diagrammatically illustrate in Fig. 8. The number of cables which may be used is limitcd only by the number of strands which lie between successive turns of the same course of cable about the same side wire, as between the points lT-l7 in Fig. 8. If these points are twelve inches apart and a quarter-inch mesh is desired, it IS obvious that no more than forty-eight cables can be wound on the side Wires to produce the desired construction, and it is also obvious that by carrying the same cable around the same side wires in forty-eight successive courses, the entire structure might be produced and only one splice would be necessary. In connection with the cable strands arra ed as shown in Fi s. 7 and 8, I employ a ifiurality of wire helices interlaced with the cable strands to hold them in proper relation, longitudinal helices 18 being il ustrnted in 7. It is obvious, however, that these longitudinally disposed helices mav be replaced by others arranged transversely, as shown in F' 6, or tn'odseries of helices may be employe if desire As it is not always convenient to wind the cables on the side wires directly, I have devised an intermediate connectmg device 20 of the construction illustrated in Figs. 9 and. 10, which is provided on each side wire '21, and the cables of the tire body are secured thereto. The connecting device 20 is formed of wire, and comprises a series of eves 22 through which the side wires pass, an a corresponding number of hooks 23, upon which loo s or turns of the cable are caught. Associated with the connecting device, 1 have illustrated in Fig. 9 a tire body of the construction shown in Fig. 1, both the outer cable strands 3 and the inner cable strands 4 being secured upon the books 23 of the connecting dB"lC0,bllt it will be clearly seen that a tire body aving the strands arranged therein after any of the plans above debe constructed upon connecting devices fof this character; but have not sion members of wire ca deemed it necessary to shun the "v1: rious dillcrcnt types of tire body in lUllll llllil ion with such connecting dm'h-l-s.

filter the completi n of a tire bod); illll'l' any one of the pious nlsow dcscrilu-d. the tire body is embedded in rubber in no suitnble manner to obtain the proper thiclmws of rubber at the trend and completely to :ruwl the interior of the tire body so that it may not injure the hour, or all, tube of the tire.

From the foregoing description and the drnnings illustrative thereof, it will be seen that all the struin upon the tire is borne by the strands of cable or other flexible wire, which may, therefore, he 11-roperly designated "tension members, but the tension mem bers are held in proper relation to each other by means of the interlaced helices of wire, which may therefore be properly designated stnys."

While I have described wire cable of certain construction as the best material of which to form the tension members of the the body, it is to be understood that braided wire or other wire of suitable flexibility and stre th may be used in lieu thereof, and I use t to term cable as broadly covering any such flexible wire st ructure.

While the description and drawings are limited to tire sheaths or casings of the Dunlop type, it is to be understood that the same principles of construction may be employed in the manufacture of tire bodies of other ty es.

Havin t us fully described my invention, what I c aim is:

1. A tire body composed of obliquely-disposed tension membcis and interlaced helical stays.

'2. A tire body composed of a plurality of obliquelydisposed tension members, the strands 111 one pl crossing the strands of the adjacent ply su stantially at right angles, and interlaced helical stays.

3. A tire body comprising a plurality of obliquely-disposed strands of wire cable, and stays for securing said strands in proper position.

. 4. A tire bodv comprising a. lure-lit of lies each consisting of paralle strains of liexible wire cable arranged transversely of the tire, and means for securing the said strands in proper relative osition.

5. A tire body compose of a. plurality of lies of obliquely-dis osed strands of wire ca- 1c, the strands in sec 1 plybeing substantially parallel to each other and disposed at right angles to the strands in the adjacent lies, and means for fastening the plies togetier.

6. A tire body comprising oblique tension members of wire cable, and stays consisting of wire helices interlaced with said tension members.

7. .Atirc having a body composed of tenle arranged trans versely of the tire, and helical wire stays for ried by said side wires and presenting a plusaid tension members, and n. covermg of l'ubl'ality of books, and a metallic tire body seber penetrating the mterstices of sand body. cured on said hooks.

S. A rubber tirc body hav iug em bedded In testimuny whereuf, I have signed my 5 therein side wlres, a (-unnecung device calmrname in the presence of two witnesses.

ried by each side wire and )resenting a, p ui rality of hooks, and a. metalkic tire body hav- '1 HOMAb MIDGLPA' ing strands thereof secured un sa l hooks. Witnesses:

9. A rubber Lire body havmg embedded BAXTER hIoRTQN,

10 therein side wires, connecting devices car- H. RICHARD Wonsu. 

